Family optimistic about finding man who's been missing for year

Published: Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 8:37 p.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, May 16, 2013 at 8:37 p.m.

On May 17, 2012, Tom Pensyl dropped his son, John, off at a bus stop outside a Walmart on the edge of Wilmington. His plan was to run errands while John spent the afternoon riding around the city entertaining himself, something the 20-year-old enjoyed doing on a fairly regular basis.

John Pensyl attended Myrtle Grove Middle School and Ashley High School in New Hanover County, and completed a year at Cape Fear Community College, his father said. Handout photo

That was a year ago. No one has heard from John since.

In the immediate aftermath of John's disappearance, detectives fanned out across the woods, but their search turned up empty. They talked to bus drivers working in that area, but no one remembered seeing him. They even interviewed nearby store employees, hoping John may have walked in to buy something. But again, nothing.

Meanwhile, news organizations plastered his picture all over television and the Internet. But the coverage only generated a single tip, from a phone repairman who told police about an encounter with John a day before he vanished.

With no clues to John's whereabouts, all anyone can do now is wait and pray that he pops up on the proverbial radar, hopefully alive.

“I think there's a good chance that he's fine, somewhere. I just wish he would let us know,” his father said, glancing down as he spoke to a reporter at a bookstore coffee shop. “But it's tough. It's worrisome.”

Some 15,000 people were reported missing in North Carolina last year, but more than 96 percent of them turned up fine, a majority within two days, said Nona Best, supervisor of the state's Center for Missing Persons.

That John has not re-emerged in a year, and that he disappeared without a trace, leaves police and family to only speculate: Did he hop a bus or simply wander away? Was he kidnapped? Did he kill himself? Did an unfortunate accident befall him? Anything is possible.

The lead investigator, Detective Lee Odham, who recounted the investigation during a Wednesday sit-down with the StarNews at the Wilmington Police Department, said he uploaded John's description and photographs to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or NamUs, a nationwide database available to the public.

Odham also sent John's dental records to the University of North Texas, which, with its staff of scientists, has become a clearinghouse for identifying bodies and matching DNA to human remains found across the country.

Dixie Peters, technical leader for the university's Center on Human Identification, said scientists there process from 750 to 1,000 samples from human remains each year, and have made more than 1,000 identifications since its inception more than a decade ago.

Advances in science and vast databases like NamUs have become increasingly influential in tracking down the missing and putting a name to the estimated 4,400 unidentified bodies found every year, experts say.

If John Pensyl, now 21, is alive and ever runs into police officers, they will be alerted to his status as a missing person if they check his name against the National Center for Criminal Information, a system somewhat similar to NamUs but available only to law enforcement.

That John has gone missing before has actually fueled optimism about his current state.

He attended Myrtle Grove Middle School and Ashley High School in New Hanover County, and completed a year at Cape Fear Community College, his father said. He dropped out about the same time he was a diagnosed with schizophrenia.

He started disappearing for days at a time, sending his father on searches. But John always turned up – once sleeping by the boardwalk in Carolina Beach, another time at a bank in Charlotte toting a sleeping bag.

“He was that age where he didn't want to be at home,” his father said. “He just didn't put it together that he needed a place to stay before he took off.”

Asked if he would like to send a message to his son, Tom Pensyl slid a strip of paper across the table. On it was typed:

Statement.

I love my son, Johnny.

His family loves him.

We all miss him very much.

We think of him every day.

It pains us greatly to not know where he is.

We would love to hear from him so we could know he is OK.

– Tom Pensyl

Information about John Pensyl's whereabouts can be submitted to the Wilmington Police Department at 343-3600 or to Odham at 343-3686.

<p>On May 17, 2012, Tom Pensyl dropped his son, John, off at a bus stop outside a Walmart on the edge of Wilmington. His plan was to run errands while John spent the afternoon riding around the city entertaining himself, something the 20-year-old enjoyed doing on a fairly regular basis. </p><p>That was a year ago. No one has heard from John since. </p><p>In the immediate aftermath of John's disappearance, detectives fanned out across the woods, but their search turned up empty. They talked to bus drivers working in that area, but no one remembered seeing him. They even interviewed nearby store employees, hoping John may have walked in to buy something. But again, nothing.</p><p>Meanwhile, news organizations plastered his picture all over television and the Internet. But the coverage only generated a single tip, from a phone repairman who told police about an encounter with John a day before he vanished. </p><p>With no clues to John's whereabouts, all anyone can do now is wait and pray that he pops up on the proverbial radar, hopefully alive. </p><p>“I think there's a good chance that he's fine, somewhere. I just wish he would let us know,” his father said, glancing down as he spoke to a reporter at a bookstore coffee shop. “But it's tough. It's worrisome.” </p><p>Some 15,000 people were reported missing in North Carolina last year, but more than 96 percent of them turned up fine, a majority within two days, said Nona Best, supervisor of the state's Center for Missing Persons. </p><p>That John has not re-emerged in a year, and that he disappeared without a trace, leaves police and family to only speculate: Did he hop a bus or simply wander away? Was he kidnapped? Did he kill himself? Did an unfortunate accident befall him? Anything is possible. </p><p>The lead investigator, Detective Lee Odham, who recounted the investigation during a Wednesday sit-down with the StarNews at the Wilmington Police Department, said he uploaded John's description and photographs to the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System, or NamUs, a nationwide database available to the public. </p><p>Odham also sent John's dental records to the University of North Texas, which, with its staff of scientists, has become a clearinghouse for identifying bodies and matching DNA to human remains found across the country. </p><p>Dixie Peters, technical leader for the university's Center on Human Identification, said scientists there process from 750 to 1,000 samples from human remains each year, and have made more than 1,000 identifications since its inception more than a decade ago. </p><p>Advances in science and vast databases like NamUs have become increasingly influential in tracking down the missing and putting a name to the estimated 4,400 unidentified bodies found every year, experts say. </p><p> If John Pensyl, now 21, is alive and ever runs into police officers, they will be alerted to his status as a missing person if they check his name against the National Center for Criminal Information, a system somewhat similar to NamUs but available only to law enforcement. </p><p>That John has gone missing before has actually fueled optimism about his current state. </p><p>He attended Myrtle Grove Middle School and Ashley High School in New Hanover County, and completed a year at <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic9937"><b>Cape Fear Community College</b></a>, his father said. He dropped out about the same time he was a diagnosed with schizophrenia. </p><p>He started disappearing for days at a time, sending his father on searches. But John always turned up – once sleeping by the boardwalk in Carolina Beach, another time at a bank in Charlotte toting a sleeping bag. </p><p>“He was that age where he didn't want to be at home,” his father said. “He just didn't put it together that he needed a place to stay before he took off.” </p><p>Asked if he would like to send a message to his son, Tom Pensyl slid a strip of paper across the table. On it was typed: </p><p><i>Statement.</p><p>I love my son, Johnny. </p><p>His family loves him. </p><p>We all miss him very much. </p><p>We think of him every day. </p><p>It pains us greatly to not know where he is. </p><p>We would love to hear from him so we could know he is OK.</i> </p><p>– Tom Pensyl </p><p>Information about John Pensyl's whereabouts can be submitted to the Wilmington Police Department at 343-3600 or to Odham at 343-3686. </p><p><i></p><p><a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/topic9904"><b>Brian Freskos</b></a>: 343-2327</p><p>On <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/section/news41"><b>Twitter</b></a>: @BrianFreskos</i></p>